1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to surface protection equipment for boats and, more particularly, to novel apparatus and methods for shielding the keel and/or bow of a watercraft from abrasive damage and which is capable of improving the hydrodynamic flow of water across the exterior surface of the watercraft.
2. The Background Art
Watercraft such as, for example, motorboats, jet skis, wave runners, yachts, sailboats, kayaks and canoes are generally formed of a fiberglass composite material which can become easily damaged or seriously scratched as a result of forcible impact or collision with sand, gravel, rocks or other obscure objects or debris found in water. Typically, when a watercraft is beached, removed from and/or launched into water, or while the watercraft is merely moving through the water, the lowermost portion of the hull of the watercraft (generally encompassing portions of the stem, bow, forefoot, keel and stern) is particularly susceptible to abrasion. Consequently, abrasive damage usually promotes corrosion and structural weakening of the hull of the watercraft. In addition, the bow of a watercraft may procure serious damage as a result of forcible contact with the docking platform where the watercraft is secured.
Traditionally, the keel and bow (inclusive of the stem and forefoot) of a watercraft are generally formed having a substantially arcuate shape which structurally encourages the hydrodynamic flow of water across the exterior surface of the hull as the watercraft moves through the water. The hydrodynamic performance of a watercraft, however, can be sufficiently reduced as a result of serious abrasions disposed on the keel and/or bow of the watercraft. In this regard, serious damage such as, for example, deep scratches, penetration or abrasions in the exterior surface of the hull of a watercraft, typically generate substantial dragging or suction forces acting against the motion of the immersed watercraft and, more importantly, can seriously affect the overall hydrodynamic performance of the watercraft in water. Moreover, serious abrasions in the hull of a watercraft particularly formed of fiberglass will generally necessitate the repair and/or replacement of the hull and those structural features of the body of the watercraft functionally affected.
The repair and/or replacement of the hull of a watercraft is customarily costly, and typically sorely inconvenient to the owner of the watercraft. Accordingly, the capacity for protecting the keel and/or bow of a watercraft from abrasive wear and tear, damage or deep scratching has encouraged significant concentration and development within the boating industry as to the various options available for protecting the hull of a watercraft and while reducing the cost of repair and maintenance of the exterior surface thereof, while substantially preserving the monetary value of the watercraft itself.
In an attempt to structurally accommodate the ability to protect at least a portion of the lowermost portion of a watercraft from structural damage caused by abrasion and deep scratching, those skilled in the art developed prior art bow protectors. A serious disadvantage associated with bow protectors of the prior art, however, is their general inability to adequately conform over the keel or bow of a particularly engineered keel or bow configuration or design of a specific make or model of watercraft.
Traditionally, prior art bow protectors are designed and manufactured as a preformed unit having a substantially rigid "V" shaped configuration. Moreover, the material comprising prior art bow protectors is usually only slightly deformable when disposed over the particular configuration of the bow or keel of the watercraft. In this regard, since the design and configuration of a hull of a watercraft is not universal in nature or in application with other watercraft, preformed prior art bow protectors are typically unable to provide sufficient universal conformity over the keel or bow of various sizes or shapes of watercraft. Similarly, because the manufacturing of prior art bow protectors in various shapes and sizes for different makes and models of watercraft can be economically impractical, prior art bow protectors are usually molded or preformed in conventional shapes and sizes which attempt to provide an approximate conformity over the keel or bow of the various watercraft upon installation.
Other practical disadvantages with bow protectors of the prior art have also emerged in relation to the installation of bow protectors over the keel or bow of the watercraft. For example, in order to properly install prior art bow protectors over a nonconforming keel or bow of a watercraft, at least two skilled installers are typically required who generally apply compression forces against the preformed body of the prior art bottom protector in order to bend or alter the shape of the bow protector to minimally conform over the keel or bow of the watercraft. In this regard, prior art bow protectors are generally installed by skilled technicians with special training in the installation process and having the necessary tools to minimize the various problems that may arise during the installation process.
Similarly, there are significant disadvantages associated with the reduction of the overall hydrodynamic performance of a watercraft as a result of nonconforming prior art bow protectors rigidly secured over the keel or bow configuration or design of a specific watercraft. For example, several bow protectors of the prior art are generally formed having a substantially empty chamber (defined by an epoxy adhesive and spacer blocks) disposed between the keel or bow of the watercraft and the internal surface of the prior art bow protector. This empty chamber essentially modifies the distinctively engineered configuration or design of the original keel or bow. In correlation therewith, by changing or modifying the particular shape and/or conformation of the keel or bow of the watercraft, the overall efficiency of the hydrodynamic flow of water provided by the original hull design of the watercraft can be significantly altered.
In addition to the foregoing disadvantages, prior art bow protectors generally promote hydrodynamic dragging or suction forces which act against the exterior surface of the keel or bow of the watercraft. Since prior art bottom protectors are commonly secured to the exterior surface of the watercraft by means of spacer blocks and an epoxy adhesive, when prior art bow protectors are unable to be substantially conformed over the configuration of the keel or bow of the watercraft, the force of the water resistance against the keel or bow of the watercraft as it moves through the water, typically overwhelms the securing means provided by the adhesive epoxy of the bow protector. In this regard, prior art bow protectors typically become detached from the exterior surface of the watercraft and correspondingly, reduce the hydrodynamic performance of the watercraft.
Furthermore, bow protectors of the prior art are usually formed of a clear plastic material comprising a molecular composition which can be sufficiently degraded as a result of persistent contact with ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light typically breaks down or alters the chemical structure of the clear plastic material and generally results in the discoloration of the plastic to display a slightly yellowish tint. Moreover, long exposure to ultraviolet light can cause the clear plastic of prior art bow protectors to become separated from the surface of the watercraft as a result of the chemical breakdown of the adhesive applied to the backing of the prior art bow protector and the exterior surface of the keel or bow.